China on Thursday condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusation that it is helping orchestrate a “political blockade” against Israel, saying Thursday the charge has “no basis in fact.”
“China is shocked by the remarks of the Israeli leader,” the Chinese embassy in Israel said in an English-language statement posted to its website. “The claim is groundless, undermines China-Israel relations, and is something that China is deeply concerned about and firmly opposed to.”
Speaking to a large delegation of US officials earlier this week, Netanyahu accused China and Qatar of “organizing an attack on Israel… [through] the social media of the Western world and the United States.”
He later said to Israeli channel i24News, “There is now an attempt to impose a blockade on Israel by various entities and countries, led by Qatar. First of all, a media blockade funded with enormous sums of money, both from Qatar and from other countries such as China.”
The embassy criticized those remarks in its statement, saying it was Israeli policies that shape opinions of the country.
In blaming social media criticism on China, Israel is “like a patient desperately turning to any doctor, targeting the wrong source and, worse yet, being given the wrong prescription.”
The embassy then cited a Chinese proverb that says, “To stop the pot from boiling, remove the firewood rather than merely skim off the foam.”
“This highlights that to truly solve a problem, one must address its root cause instead of just easing its symptoms,” it said, referring to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “The pursuit of security at the expense of others will not work; only common security can bring lasting peace and eliminate the breeding ground of violence and hatred.”
“Israel’s legitimate security concerns should be respected, and Palestine’s right to existence, statehood and development should be upheld,” China said. “We urge Israel to heed the strong call of the international community, stop the military operations in Gaza, realize a full and lasting ceasefire as soon as possible, and prevent a greater humanitarian crisis.”
The statement noted that much of the international community has called for a ceasefire in the war against Hamas in Gaza, and chided Netanyahu’s policy.
“Solving Israel’s current plight requires political wisdom and creative diplomacy, not just military operations and endless bombings,” it said. “The lopsided vote counts at the UN and other multilateral agencies on multiple Palestine-related issues have made clear the position of the majority of the international community.”
The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating massacre in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, and kidnapped 251 hostages.
As the war has dragged on, Israel has faced increasing international condemnation over civilian deaths in Gaza and a dire humanitarian situation.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 64,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Israel says it has killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught. Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.